Coffee table books, like artwork, are one the best ways to both express your design sense and what you hold important, including travel, photography, food, and more. They also help form the feel of a room. For minimalists, it may be a sleek stack of books with blank bindings in a single color. For maximalists, it may be a stack of colorful and varied art books on a table. A stack of Mediterranean-themed travel books can instantly make a space seem more worldly while a thick stack of woodland-themed books can similarly meld a room to seem rustic and cozy.

A stack of books on your coffee table becomes an interactive art exhibit you or our guests can explore. Try leaving your favorites open to a page that you love and want to share with others, or use a book stand for display. Jenn Todryk tells CNN, “I love [the ‘ESV Psalms, Photography Edition’] coffee-table books because they are so simple and elegant but have beautiful pictures on the inside. I leave it open on my coffee table. This hardcover book pairs each psalm from the Bible alongside stunning photography of the Irish countryside.”